Daily Republican., 1887-10-26
All About Ivory.

| Inc main supply OF ivory is derived
from the African elephant, and not
from his Indian or Asiatic brethren.
There are numerous differen ces be
tween the two-the African beast be
Ing the larger, a foot taller. having
oigger ears, a somewhat flatlei head
and with four nails on each fDol
whereas the Asiatic elephant has tour
nalls on each hind foot and FIVE on his
fore foot. '''
1t Ia the absence of tusks in the
Asiatic elephant, or their partial de.
veppment, which Is the great differ.
Ience. The tusks of the African ele.
phant vary with the size or age of the
animal.
They have no roots like the teeth of
animals, "but fit firmly into what are
called premaxil!ary sockets. and if we
should examine this buried or hidden
portion, we should find that it was
partly hollow. so to speak, the ivory
at the root being very thin and sur.
rounding a pulp, where the ivory is
being secreted."
AS the animal increases In years the
hollow in the tusk is filled np with
solid material, and "in extremely old
elephants it disappears entirely, and
the tusk is solid ivory"
AThe dcntine,as In the matured tusk
begins in the pulk cavity. which ma
be ten inches or more long, imbedded
In the skull. and this Is soft.
Sometimes II happens that q ball has
been fired at an elephant. which is i'm,
bedded In the softer portion Of the
tusk, aud after while is surrounded
by the harder ivory, Such balls are
sometimes found by ivory workers.
The true teeth OF the elephant have
Ia curious method Of progression
"moving gradually forward from be.
hind In regular succession; each old
front tooth as 1t Is worn away being
out of place by its successor. u
1 The wear and tear ON the teeth o
this animated grinding mill must be
immense-a large Indian elephan,
CT nsuming eight hundred pounds o.
green fodder 10 the eighteen hours.
An English officer in charge of ele-
Iphants belonging to the government
found that for years the animals had
been given two hundred and fifty
lpounds Of green fodder, and had been
starved, because, through ignorance,
the government had fixed the rate.
The elephant uses his tusks for attack
and defense, but principally, in wild
state, 10 overturn trees of small growth
so that ne can feed on their branch es
lSir Samuel Baker measured mimosa
trees four feet six inches in circumfer-
Ience and thirty feet high, which ele-
Iphants had pulled down; and the dam
Iage they cause is almost incredible
These trees, however, have no deer
root, and are comparatively easy to
Ioverthrow.
| 1t is the trunk of the elephant which
is its most remarkable feature. Cur
Ivier estimated it as containing fort,
Thousand muscles. 1t is both hands
land nose
Though the trunk is so useful, it II
la very tender and delicate organ, and
is not used in the rough manner gen
Ierally supposed. "In making ah at
tack it Is raised high in the air out o.
the way. When great weight II
lifled, it is not the trunk. but th,
tusks, which are employed, the forme
only holding the object upon the lat
tier"
/ There are many facts in regard t.
elephants which are novel to readers
Ii is not generally known that there /
q resemblance between the stomach
| of the elephant and camel. since boil
!possess the power OF storing water.
"Hunters have been often astonish
ed at seeing elephants, which the,
have been chasing for some time, in
tsert their trunks into their mouths
and there obtain supply of water tina
is blown over their dry and heate'
body"